Dreams

The enthusiasm today around school is really high after yesterday and Tuesday. I thought at the very least we should document our ideas. While we may or may not implement them all right away, let's at least have them written down so that even if we do some of them, it will be better than nothing!!

Procedural stuff: Let's try to make use of the editing notes and tags. We'll see later if we need that info or not. Might as well play with all the features.

Click on Edit in the upper right-hand corner to make your changes to this page.

Our ideas from Dec 2009 TIES Conference (Linda D., Lynn S., Kelli M., Britta F., Stacy P.):

• Do kids really e-mail? Or do they all Facebook and text?
• iPods, oh, iPods, think of what we could do with a set of iPod touches, esp. if we wait for the video generation (can't be that far off if the iPhones have it already . . . ) How could we pilot this?
• Using a wiki for staff development around the flip cams (rather than a "stand-up-here-and-talk-at-you" delivery model)
• Thoughts about the flip cameras:
  • Look for cameras with stabilization....many suggest the Kodak Zi8
  • May need to use format factory to change format to work on SmartBoard
  • Some ways to use include: field trips, demonstration videos, instructions, procedures, professional development (see what other teachers in the building are doing with out getting away from your own classroom), Video Pals like pen pals, interview experts, authors chair, book reviews, class wiki where kids can load their own footage, lesson review/reflection, running records to play back to the student, speech,
  • How to roll out the ones we get...some thoughts.... each team gets a set for a certain amount of time and then they need to share a few ways they used them, a check out system, certain amount per neighborhood

• xtranormalfor publishing student work- share written work, research projects
• RealeBooksuse this for actual book publishing- $500 for a site license for one year. Can read books online or actually print them on paper. Add your own drawings, import pictures...
• Student led conferences- 4 computers in a classroom, students use the Notebook software to guide their discussion with parents.
• Using digital tools to enhance and compliment current curriculum. Search for what others have already made, don't reinvent the wheel! Great way to search for Notebook files Notebook file search
• Work together to become distinguished educators with Ties/Apple/SMART
• Take some TIES classes? Perhaps we can talk Mary into letting us use professional time for half a day.
• Are we TIES members?
• Look into getting more than just the boards and software.. what abut Classroom suite?

Our ideas from June 2009 conference at Hamline (Linda D., Janet M., Mary A., Kelli M., Lynn S., Lisa G.):

• Curriculum Committee Wikis perhaps off a VCCS wiki
• Student Blogs for literacy
• Student blogs, wiki, or Ning network for cultural exchange (the Costa Rica deal)
• SDSC Wiki
• VCCS Delicious list of Curriculum resources, student tools, etc.
• Team blogs in lieu of or supplementing team newsletters
• Kids bring and make good use of their own technology tools
• Video Podcasts (vodcasts) in lieu of on-the-fly special reports on VNN
• Recording books read by kids (work on fluency) for other kids to listen to and follow along in their books
• Using new 2.0 technology for projects to move beyond posters and Power Points
• Staff development tools available at all times via video so people can complete requirements or areas of interest on their own schedule (great idea)
• Virtual engagement with other classrooms on projects such as graphing weather
• Cross neighborhood book conversations..
• Wikis become an intregal part of communication, collaboration, and ideas at VC
• Even 50+ year olds can do this!
• State-of-the-Art Resources. From the VCCS web site - students prepare for the future using today's technical tools to discover solutions, to describe and report, and to explore the world.
• Use our new website to better communicate to families